The Bengaluru consumer court favored a resident in a lawsuit against PVR Cinemas and INOX for showing lengthy ads before movies. They ruled it as unfair trade practice and stressed the value of time. The court ordered the multiplex chain to specify movie start times on tickets, excluding ad durations.
Abhishek MR’s complaint states he attended a showing of Sam Bahadur at a PVR on December 26. The film was scheduled for 4:05pm but started at 4:30pm following 25 minutes of ads, impacting his work plans. The court, agreeing with him, emphasized that in today’s time-conscious world, 25-30 minutes of waiting for ads is a significant loss.
The court instructed PVR and INOX to cease airing ads after movies’ scheduled start times. It highlighted that cinemas must limit public service announcements to 10 minutes per guidelines. Notably, before Sam Bahadur, 95% of the ads were commercial, supporting Abhishek’s statement.
PVR and INOX argued that pre-film ads serve latecomers and meet PSA screening rules. However, the court ruled against them, ordering payments of ₹20k for mental distress, ₹8k for legal fees, and a ₹1 lakh fine for unfair practices. BookMyShow was not responsible as it lacks control over film schedules.
Sources News From Various Digital Platforms, Websites, Journalists, And Agencies.
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